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Last updateFri, 01 Apr 2016 2pm

Child dies in Chapala home fire

Tragedy struck a Chapala family Sunday, March 27, when a fire broke out in their home, fatally trapping a five-year-old girl in a second-story bedroom.

The only other person at home at the time was the girl’s grandmother who was stuck on the ground floor as ardent flames and thick smoke impeded her ability to go to the rescue. 

Local firefighters arrived at the scene within five minutes of receiving an emergency call, but too late to get inside in time to save the child. After extinguishing the fire, they found her severely burnt body on a bed where she had apparently succumbed to smoke inhalation. 

An inspection of the premises carried out the following day by Fire Department chief and local forensic investigator Olga Ramirez revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit in slipshod electrical wiring throughout the house. 

They found signs showing that sparks from the melting wires ignited clothing piled up in a corner of the bedroom that spread to nearby furnishings, blocking the youngster’s escape path through a sole doorway to the staircase. 

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